This first "Keepers of the Flame" album was created by Dave Bendigkeit on trumpet and flugelhorn, Grant Levin on piano, Chris Amberger on bass, and Akira Tana on drums. It is all original music. We are one of a group of the last remaining voices from the past. From the great river of American music where the groove, self-expression are paramount. As younger men, we worked and learned our craft by playing with everyone from Art Blakey, Cab Calloway, Shelly Manne and Ella Fitzgerald to Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Rufus Reid, and so many other giants of this music. This is an offering by musicians who long ago stopped trying to sound like somebody else. Enjoy! ~ Dave Bendigkeit ____________________________ A few comments by listeners of Dave Bendigkeit: Dave Bendigkeit “is, above all, an expressive soloist, one who shows that rare combination of virtuosity and individualism which has always marked jazz's superior talents. ...In today's age of post-modernism, more and more people are beginning to realize that the important question is not who is the most "progressive" or the most "out there", but rather who is saying the most in his or her chosen medium. ...the different artistic disciplines can perhaps benefit from those in the new generation who can build from the tradition and, in the words of poet Ezra Pound, "make it new". In the world of jazz, Dave Bendigkeit is doing precisely that." - Ted Gioia - Quartet Records ------------------- When trumpeter Dave Bendigkeit plays "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" (from "Thoughts of a Gentleman," the Dave Bendigkeit Quartet), his breathtaking lines are innovative and expressive and how they flow. Loaded with technical agility, while Bendigkeit can and does take any measure of a song and sail it out to speed — jazz, swing, rock or pop — the man pulls his listeners in, like sea to shore. Jean Bartlett (Correspondent to the Pacifica Tribune) ------------------ “A splendid trumpet player… masterful.” - Bob Martin (Peninsula-Times Tribune) --------------------------------------- "Davey....you are a treasure to the community where you live. Burn all night." - Steve Mitchell, Grammy Award Winning Drummer -------------------------- "Dave... You have a beautiful, warm, clear voice" - Clairdee ------------------------- "What a great human being you are and so professional and dedicated... such a great sense of enjoyment on the bandstand, with all the human playfulness one can imagine. My honor to know you and be part of your great musicianship!!! Thank you kind sir!!!" - Chris Amberger - Bassist for Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Art Pepper, Art Blakey, George Shearing, Cal Tjader, Kenny Dorham, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. ----------------------- "You playing "When I Fall In Love" made my night. I should get a lesson from you!!!" - from the great San Francisco trumpet player, Mike Olmos ------------------------ "I had a pleasant surprise when I went to see my comrade, Dave Bendigkeit. It was a intimate setting with an up close and personal view of Dave's surprising talents..... Who Knew? Aside from his obvious trumpet ability, he sang and entertained in a Jack Sheldon-like fashion, with inside humor and spontaneity. I sometimes felt like I was the only one laughing in that "too hip for the room" bit! But they loved him anyway! It was the best show in town (Pacifica) and the best Value in the Bay Area. I'm tellin' ya, Don't miss the next one. ( Maybe he'll play some drums too)" - Al Molina, San Francisco Trumpet Legend ----------------------- "You are a legend of Bay Area jazz. I have admired your work for decades. Your group of great musicians bring such a gift to your audience!" - Bill Greene, Former Principle Trumpet with the Honolulu Symphony, and great lead jazz trumpet player. ----------------------- “Dear Dave: I pushed play on "Waltz for B" and was instantly transported to a place I hadn't been to for a long time. It's an absolutely lovely place, but hard to find.” - Danny Hull ----------------------- “Absolutely LOVE your music!” - Kerry T.